By now, most of us have heard the phrase “this is the new normal.” Whether you’re a business owner, organization leader, side-hustler, or influencer, you’ve probably started to incorporate more social media into your business marketing strategy as business has increasingly moved online.
Maybe you’ve already begun to adjust, creating and posting more on your social media pages, watching trainings, and interacting with your followers. But maybe you feel like it’s taking you too much time, you’re running out of ideas and you don’t know if your method is sustainable. As you tailor your business to the new online reality, it’s essential to develop a sustainable strategy for yourself that will save you time, engage your audience, and encourage creativity and excitement for you and your clients. Assessing your content can help you immensely.
Here at the Henry Group, we see content as the first pillar of a strong social media presence. Read on to learn why:
a. What is content
b. Why planning your content in advance is important
c. How to plan your content
What is content?
Content can be text, images, videos, animations, links, and anything that you’re sharing across your online platforms.
The type of content you post to your platforms will vary based on your unique brand, products and services, and audience, but it’s a good idea to vary the media type and themes to keep your followers interested and engaged.
Why is planning your content in advance important?
Brainstorming, planning, and creating your content in advance saves you time, energy and brain power in the long-run!
Having a list of content ideas to refer to is useful when planning out and scheduling your posts in advance. Planning and scheduling posts in advance, using a tool such as Hootsuite or Sprout Social, can save you hours of time compared to posting manually on a daily basis. Additionally, having a list of content can come in handy when you are creatively burnt out or feeling lost. Finally, having a content list and schedule allows you to create templates in advance for quick and easy graphic creation and posting.
How to create and plan your content
There is no one right way to come up with content! Here is a basic system to get you started:
· Brainstorm and make a list of content ideas
· Categorize your content
· Plot it on a calendar
· Create your content and schedule
Brainstorm and make a list of content ideas: Make a list of all the information followers want and need to see from you – your business information, products and services, special events, dates, tips, and other information specific to your business, field, and audience
Categorize your content: After listing all the basic ideas, categorize each list item. For example, can you create a content series of tips specific to your field? Can you create a series of product spotlights?
Plot it on the calendar: Once you have your categories, think about when and how often to release content from each category. Does it make sense to post a product highlight once a week? Two times a week? Do you want to offer a tip weekly, or every two weeks?
Create your content and schedule: Once you know what content you need to put out and how often you need it, you can get into content creation! Make some graphics relating to your content and then get to scheduling!
Do you want more ideas on how to create content? Click here to sign up for our mailing list and receive a free 31-Days of Social Media Content Starters Kit.
Want even more ideas for upping your overall social media game? Join our Social Savvy with Aliah Henry Facebook group!